Thursday , March 28 2024
The city of the gods has collapsed. They are no longer immortal, but they cannot die.

Graphic Audio Review: Elantris: Part I By Brian Sanderson

Elantris was a city of gods. It stood as a symbol of all things beautiful. It was a symbol of a power and strength. It was as imposing as it was magnificent. It was inhabited by god like beings with silvery skin and flowing white hair. They had powerful magic that could heal mortal wounds. They had no sickness, pain, or want.

Once again I was treated to a Graphic Audio performance that really brings you into the story. The combination of sound effects and artistic vocal performances creates what Graphic Audio calls a “Movie in your Mind” and that is truly Elantris is.

It was through the process of the Shaod; a transformation, that the gods were chosen. It happened to paupers or princes, men or women, old or young, a person would just wake up and the burden of mortality would be gone. That is how it was 10 years ago, before Elantris fell. After it fell, it began to rot, as did its gods.

Now, ten years later, Elantris is a walled city where its inhabitants are locked in and they have turned to powerless, tortured souls who are unable to die, and where most go insane. Yes they are immortal, but so are their injuries as they never heal. And so is their hunger as their hunger never ceases. There is no food to be had.

When Princess Sarene of Teod arrives in the new capital of Kae to marry Prince Raoden, she is shocked to find that he has died to a mysterious illness. She is held by a legally binding contract that says she is married to a man she never met.

Unbeknownsed to Sarene, Raoden has been taken by the Shaod and has been thrown into Elantris. As a prince and the son of a king, he does not accept things as they are and will try to change them. A third character, Harathen, a high ranking priest also arrives to convert the country to the Shu Dereth religion. This is something that he must do within three months time or his leader's armies will come to overtake the city. To do this he must make the Elantrian's into demons.

Will Sarene uphold the memory of her prince? Will Raoden change the mindset of the Elantrian's and restore the honor of their former selves? Will Harathen convert the city and save them from certain destruction?

The quality of the story and performance are the reason that I will be coming back to Graphic Audio products. By using a whole cast; over 20 performers, you don't get one person trying to sound like many different voices, you get unique individual characters. There are also sound effects that give added reality. It is this quality production that makes listening to it such a treat.

You can also check out some of their other series as well. If you want you can listen to a sample, or purchase the GraphicAudio Book from their on-line Store. The story comes three ways; standard CD (the version I reviewed), MP3 CD and downloadable WMA with digital rights management.

About T. Michael Testi

Photographer, writer, software engineer, educator, and maker of fine images.

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